Faith Kipyegon sets 1,500 world record at Prefontaine Classic
Eugene (US), July 6: Kenyan Faith Kipyegon set a world record in the 1,500 metres at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing in 3 minutes, 48.68 seconds. Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion in the event, bested her own record of 3:49.04 in the event, set last July before the Paris Games. Kipyegon, 31, sprinted alone down the stretch at Hayward Field cheered by the crowd on Saturday. After crossing the finish line, she wrapped herself in the Kenyan flag. Ethiopian Diribe Welteji was runner-up in 3:51.44. Last month Kipyegon failed in a bid to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. She ran 4:06.42 – the fastest mile in history by a woman – at Stade Charléty in Paris. Her time was better than her world record of 4:07.64 but won’t be recognized because the Nike-sponsored event was unofficial. Kipyegon also has won the 1,500 at the last three World Championships. She was second in the 5,000 at the Paris Olympics last summer. (PTI)
Beatrice Chebet sets world record in 5,000 metres
Eugene (US), July 6: Kenyan Beatrice Chebet set a world record in the 5,000 metres, winning the event in 13 minutes, 58.06 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic. Chebet became the first women to run under 14 minutes in the event on Saturday, surpassing the previous record of 14:00.21 set by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay. Tsegay set the record at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. Chebet, 25 was the gold medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Paris Olympics, becoming just the third woman to win both. Chebet had the previous world best this year in the event, running 14:06.39 last month in Rome. The Prefontaine Classic in the lone US stop on the Diamond League track and field series. (AP)
Dominant Sakshi wins gold at World Boxing Cup
Astana, July 6: Two-time youth world champion Sakshi bagged India’s first gold medal at the second World Boxing Cup with a dominant performance in women’s 54kg final here on Sunday. The 24-year-old was at her attacking best as she registered a unanimous verdict win against USA’s Yosline Perez. The Indian contingent has had a fruitful outing at the World Boxing Cup here and is assured of a total of 11 medals. India had bagged six medals in the first leg in Brazil, including a gold and a silver. There were four Indian boxers in action in the first session and it was Sakshi who managed to stand atop of the podium with a stellar display that combined speed and combination punches. Earlier, Meenakshi pushed hard for victory against local favourite Nazym Kyzaibay in the 48kg final but ended on the wrong side of a 3-2 verdict. Jugnoo (men’s 85kg) and Pooja Rani (women’s 80kg) will also return home with silver medals after losing their respective finals. Jugnoo went down 0-5 against Bekzad Nurdauletov of Kazakhstan while Pooja too lost by an identical margin to Australia’s Eseta Flint. (PTI)
Vidya Pillai clinches Heyball gold in Commonwealth Billiards tourney
Balaclava (Mauritius), July 6: Seasoned Indian cueist Vidya Pillai held her nerve to win the Heyball gold medal at the inaugural Commonwealth Billiards Championships here on Sunday. The 47-year-old, a former World champion in 6-Red Snooker, edged out South Africa’s Marina Jacobs 5-5 (3-1 in shootout) in the women’s final. It seemed like a one-way traffic when Vidya jumped to a quick 5-1 lead with some amazing potting in the title clash. But a couple of poor shot selections in the subsequent frames allowed her rival to force her way back into the match. Needing no second invitation, Jacobs rallied in splendid style to reel off four straight frames, the 10th with just 10 seconds left on the clock to force a shootout. Vidya, known for her snooker prowess and her knowledge of angles, roared back to win the shootout 3-1 to take the gold. India’s Chitra Magimairaj suffered a heartbreak in the gold-medal match, losing to Singapore’s Venus Lim Xinyi in a shootout (3-4) after being 5-5 in the women’s 10-ball pool. Among other Indians, Anupama Ramachandran and Keerthana Pandian settled for the bronze medal, losing their respective semifinals in women’s 6-Red Snooker. While Anupama went down fighting 1-2 to England’s Rebecca Kenna, Keerthana lost 0-2 to Singapore’s Chua Peifen Audrey. (PTI)
Brij Bhushan attends felicitation ceremony for woman wrestler
Chandigarh, July 6: Former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Sunday attended a felicitation ceremony for a woman wrestler in Haryana despite opposition from some khap panchyats. Singh attended the event in Bond Kalan village in Charkhi Dadri district where wrestler Rachna Parmar was felicitated. Rachna had recently won a gold in the women’s 43kg category at the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships in Vietnam. Charkhi Dadri happens to be the home district of Olympian and now a Congress MLA from Julana Vinesh Phogat, who was among wrestlers to lead a protest against Singh. The representatives of some Khap panchayats opposed Singh’s visit on the grounds that he faced charges of sexual harassment by women wrestlers. The matter is still in court. (PTI)